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Selected Video Works

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Representation Score

2.3/10

Limited

1999

Director

William Wegman

Runtime

21 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

William Wegman’s *Selected Video Works* operates as a postmodern exercise in symbolic disruption rather than a study of human demographics. The collection relies on absurdism and the use of non-human subjects to mirror and mock human social structures. While the work lacks diverse human casting, its intellectual framework challenges the concept of the 'human' as a stable category. It succeeds in subverting traditional hierarchies through the lens of appropriation and the deconstruction of the subject. Ultimately, the diversity present is conceptual rather than demographic. The work critiques social rigidity through surrealism, even as it remains limited in its representation of specific human identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does Selected Video Works have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The collection features non-narrative, avant-garde vignettes centered on Weimaraner dogs. There are no depictions of LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisgender identities.

How does Selected Video Works portray gender?

Fair

Wegman uses anthropomorphism to disrupt conventional gender expectations. By casting dogs in roles that mimic human domesticity, the work satirizes the social structures underpinning gendered behavior.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Selected Video Works?

Minimal

The focus remains on a domestic, studio-based environment featuring canine subjects and the artist. There is a lack of diverse human casting or intentional racial diversity.

How does Selected Video Works represent religion and culture?

Good

The work prioritizes subjective experience and absurdity over traditional moral or religious frameworks. It uses irony to challenge the stability of Western identity and social institutions.

Does Selected Video Works include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no documented depictions of visible or invisible disabilities. Characters with disabilities are not utilized as plot devices within these performances.

Present on Screen

  • Uses anthropomorphism to effectively satirize and deconstruct traditional gendered social hierarchies.
  • Challenges the stability of Western identity through postmodernist irony and the deconstruction of the subject.
  • Subverts conventional narrative frameworks by using non-human subjects to mirror human sociality.

Limited or Absent

  • Lacks diverse human casting, resulting in low scores for racial and ethnic representation.
  • Provides no discernible depiction of LGBTQ+ characters or non-cisgender gender identities.
  • Does not include any documented depictions or narratives involving disability.

Official Synopsis

Absurd stories mix with wordplay in the early video works of William Wegman. Product demonstrations, application of household appliance on videotape, stomach hummings. Copyright reminiscing. Man Ray chews the microphone... A selection from the hours of short performances Wegman recorded in his studio from 1970-1978. Selected Video Works includes Two Dogs And Ball (silent), Used Car Salesman, Dog Biscuit In Glass Jar.

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